When to prune an olive
Late winter, after the last frost and before the flowers. What to cut, what to leave, and why less is more.
- Written by
- Marta Llorens
- Topic
- Pruning
- Reading
- 1 min
Most of the olives we are called to in spring have been pruned too hard, too late, or both. An olive will forgive a lot, but it flowers on last year’s wood, and every branch you take in April is fruit you will not see in October.
The window
On the coast between Sagunto and Dénia, the best weeks are from mid February to the end of March. The risk of frost has passed, the sap is starting to move so cuts close quickly, and the flower buds are not yet open.
Inland, in Llíria or Bétera, we wait two weeks longer. A cold night after pruning can kill back fresh cuts.
What to cut
We start with the three Ds: dead, damaged and diseased wood. Then we take out anything growing straight up from the main branches, the water shoots, and anything crossing through the middle of the tree.
The aim is a tree you could throw a hat through. Light and air in the centre keep the leaves healthy and the fruit even.
What to leave
We leave the long, slightly drooping branches on the outside of the canopy, because they carry most of next year’s flowers. The suckers at the base come off last, cut flush.
As a rule, we never take more than a quarter of the canopy in one year. If an old tree needs more, the work is spread over three winters.
Tools
A clean pruning saw, sharp secateurs and a pair of loppers. The blades are wiped with alcohol between trees. We do not seal the cuts: a clean angled cut on a dry day heals better on its own.
